Sports

Former Olympic champion Wang Meng named head coach of Chinese speed skating team

Four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Wang Meng has been named head coach of the Chinese national speed skating team, the Winter Sports Management Center of the Chinese General Administration of Sport announced.

"This is both an honor and a source of pressure," Wang Meng told Xinhua on Tuesday night. "I hope all relevant parties can work together to give a fresh new look to the speed skating national team."

Wang Meng, who collected three golds at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, recommended herself to the Administration and was added to the coaching squad of the national speed skating team in May 2018.

In addition to the 34-year-old Wang Meng, the coaching team also includes Wang Xiuli, who led Clara Hughes of Canada to claim Olympic gold in 5000m in 2006 before returning to coach team China in 2017 and British coach Phil Brajaka, each preparing a group of athletes for Beijing 2022.

Director of the Winter Sports Management Center Ni Huizhong called for provincial teams to fully mobilize talents and resources to support the national team.

An extended national team will assemble in Beijing on April 15 for the new season, and according to Sun Yuanfu, vice director of the speed skating center, the target of the upcoming season is wide participation in international tournaments, including World Cup tournaments, the World Championships and the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, in order to get better prepared for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.